The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2

Joss Stone has a voice so big that she occasionally overwhelms her songs. She can't help that she's a powerhouse in the mold of Aretha Franklin, but thankfully, she's capable of style and technique, too. Her best performances on The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2, a sequel to her 2003 platinum collection of classic soul covers, build the drama from a simmer to a hot cookin' boil, from Womack & Womack's "Teardrops" to the Honey Cone's "While You're Out Looking for Sugar." She even tones it down on a cover of Sylvia's "Pillow Talk," where she coos breathily like a sex kitten.